Q: The economy. Pivoting off the jobs report on Friday, how does Obama continue to make the argument that the economy is heading in the right direction?

Carney: "I would say that while Friday's jobs numbers were clearly below expectations and far from good enough… they did represent the 27th straight month of private sector job creation since the president's policies have begun to take effect."

More: "We can do more right now … to further grow the economy and help it create more jobs. … The president made clear last fall that the recovery wasn't robust enough … when he introduced his American Jobs Act."

Carney said Republicans, "with their backs against the wall" decided to support SOME aspects of the American Jobs Act, but left items that "remain on the table."

More: "That is also true of the items on the president's to-do list for Congress … which is compiled entirely of measures that have bipartisan support."

More: "This president will continue to do everything he can both using his administrative authority, his executive authority, and through working with Congress … to make sure that we continue moving this economy forward."

Carney says the "alternative" is to "go back to the polices that created the 8 M lost jobs … I don't think the American people believe that that's the right way to go."

More: "The president clearly thinks that choice is clear."

Q: Are the remaining proposals in the American Jobs Act bold enough?

Carney: "I would simply say that the elements of the American Jobs Act and the to do list combined would help the economy create significant jobs…"

More: "I think we would be in a different situation with a different employment picture than the one we're in…"

Q: POTUS and Clinton have had some differences… Clinton's "sterling" quote… Are these two men seeing eye to eye?

Carney: "I would refer you to some of the other things that President Clinton has said since then … the issue isn't whether someone succeeded in the private equity world… it's whether or not that vision is the right vision for creating jobs."

More: "The way this world works… you can succeed in a situation where the result is many many layoffs. You can still make a lot of money… the issue is not jobs, it's profits. That's fine if your goal is to succeed in that financial world. But that's not a president's responsibility. The president's responsibility is to maximize the economy for all Americans."

More: "So, I think looking at that, President Clinton has completely supported President Obama's approached. And has thoroughly endorsed President Obama as someone" who has had the right vision to move this country forward.

More: "President Obama came into office, was handed a 1.4T dollar deficit … and an economic situation that was the worst everyone has ever seen."

Q: Does Obama agree with Clinton that Romney has had a sterling business career?

Carney: "What the choice is about in the fall as well as right now is which is the right economic prescription for this country. Is it one that includes investments in the near term… investments in clean energy, for example. .. as well as taking the necessary steps … through a balanced approach. Or is it one that doubles down on the previous policies of the last 8 years."

Carney: "Again, the choice as I described it is clear…"

Q: Jobs report comes in the wake of lots of threats to the global economy. Given all of these threats to the economy, is it time to go back to the drawing board? Obama to deliver a speech on the economy this month?

Carney: "I don't have any scheduling" to announce. Says Obama speaks about the economy frequently. "The fact of the matter is … there is no mystery about what we need to do…"

More: "One of the often overlooked facts about the recovery we've had thus far is that there's been substantial private sector recovery… even as the economy" at the state and local level have shed jobs. Obama thinks that it's bad to shed teaching jobs.

More: "That's bad for our long-term economic prospects. … He proposed in the American jobs act that Congress should take action, together we should take action to help return teachers to the classroom."

More: "We have job loss as a result of that proposal."

Carney takes a few more questions on the economy/Congress.

Carney says that coming to Washington and "doing thing" could cost some members of Congress.

More: "When the Republican Congress finally relented" on payroll tax, veteran benefits, it's been "in part because they've heard from the American people, their constituents…"

Carney: "We have business to do right now for the American people."

Q: Why would the president quit talking about those two big elements? Infrastructure and state bailout.

Carney: Says that it's always beneficial to keep talking about things. "i think when you look at jobs numbers that we've got on Friday… you notice this affect here… which is greater private sector job growth … and slippage in public sector jobs. Principly in education …"

More: "This is very significant… because the impact as I described earlier is not just on the teachers who have been laid off. … Classroom sizes are bigger… So, the compound effect here of those layoffs is profound. That's why Congress should take action …"

More: "There is no question that if had Congress had acted then, we would be looking at a different picture now."

Q: Why did Obama stop pushing those things?

Carney: "He continued to push additional and new economic proposals. It never became a question of whether or not Congress should simply not act. … He continues to believe that."

Q: Who, specifically is rooting for failure?

Carney: "I think when you have a situation where action is not being taken… that there is at least a failure to act. You know, I can't tell you specifically whether or not that's rooting or just passivity. But the fact is that Americans send their elected representatives to act… not to do nothing."

More: "There has been an opportunity to help the economy grow faster … Congress has failed to act on those. Congress has failed to act thus far on elements of the" American Jobs Act.

Q: Obama seemed to make the case that the disappointing jobs numbers were due to turmoil in Europe.

Carney: "Well, the president made clear on Friday and has in the past… that the situation in Europe unquestionably creates a headwind for the global economy and therefore for the American economy. The point he made Friday and has made in the past… is because of that headwind and others … we need to take every step that we can at home to insulate our economy from the negative effects of the Eurozone crisis."

More: "The fact is, that's what we need to do in the United States of America. We have the biggest economy in the world, we have the most dynamic economy in the world …" but we cannot control every piece of legislation. "We need to take all the action we can to insulate the American economy …"

Q: Why not just say we're going through a slow-growth period?

Carney: "I think we speak extremely frankly about the economy realities that we face."

Q: Stuxnet question. Was this an authorized leak? Why did the W.H. refer to the author of the piece?

Carney: "I think we've made very clear… he has made clear that his reporting on this… some people are frustrated by that approach that we take."

Q: Why didn't the president travel to Wisconsin.

Carney says the president supports Tom Barrett, endorsed him and supports him. Refers to the campaign. "You have a unique situation in Wisconsin where the election is the result of a recall… but the president absolutely stands by Tom Barrett and hopes he prevails."

More: "I think that there are a lot of factors in that contest that make it unique…"

Q: Why is Obama raising money with hedge fund/private equity types?

Carney: "I wasn't aware that any of them were running for president… there's nothing wrong with profit… you can succeed very well in that field by maximizing profit .. the point is that job creation is not the goal."

Q: Why isn't Obama spending time with job creators?

Carney: "Folks who are supporting the president, including folks who know that supporting the president and the president' success would mean that they would have to pay a little bit more … speaks extremely well of those folks."

Says others on Wall Street who support Romney are essentially "buying tax relief."

Q: Revisit Keystone for job creation?

Carney: "As you know … the company in question has submitted a new proposal." Says the previous proposal was rejected because of broad bipartisan opposition to it…including opposition from the Republican governor in the state that would be affected … the process must not be politicized…"

Carney: Now that the proposal has been submitted, it will be considered.

Carney: "You can't put your thumb on the scale" and bypass the process. "The president is interested in a thorough process that makes a judgment based on the merits."

Q: Mubarak trial. Any reaction? Does the president think the outcome of this trial was a success?

Carney: "Specifically with regards to the trial, I would say simply that this was a decision made by the Egyptian judiciary … we continue to support the application to due process through the Egyptian legal system…"

Q: There's a report out that Kofi Annan will be in D.C. Will Obama see Annan? Is this a signal that the towel is being thrown in?

Carney: "I certainly would let Mr. Annan speak for himself. … Obviously we support the Annan plan… even though we remain extremely skeptical, i think with good reason, with Assad's willingness to comply with it… The international community needs to come together and unify around the idea that a political transition would happen sooner rather than later. … I don't have a scheduling update for the president."

Q: Does the president need to do anything differently?

Carney: Carney says he wants to focus on right now.

Questions about a trip to Europe by an admin. staffer.

Carney: "The president is regularly briefed on the situation in the Eurozone…" Refers to treasury.

Q: Are you trying to tell us that Obama hasn't distanced himself from WIsconsin recall?

Carney; "I think I just made clear that the president stands by the Dmeocratic candidate, he made that clear right after the primary. For other efforts to support Mr. Barrett's candidate, I would refer you to the president's campaign."